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COLONEL JIM DOUGLAS THE SEASONS EIND. Cincinnati, O., August 25. A most interesting feature of every seasons racing isithe development of high class horses from what previously had been considered no-account material the finding of pay dirt In abandoned claims, so to.spea.kt. .During the present year luek Tias played many a prank among the turfmen of the west In this respect. Half a dozen or more horses, bought for a song six mouths ago, their ,former owners glad to get rid of them at any price, have since turned ont to be valuable bread-winners and among the very best performers of the western summer meetings. Such runners, for example, as John L. Inglls, Wee Lass and Colonel Jim Douglas, not to mention others, have this season displayed form far in excess of anything they had previously shown. The real find of the season is undoubtedly the four-year-old bay colt, Colonel Jim Douglas, by Henry Young Rainy Day, owned by Arch Oldham, a young Louisville turfman. Beginning in the spring with an unplaced start at the Falls City, Colonel Jim Douglas won two straight races, was beaten in his two following starts and then won one more purse before shipment to Latonla. At the meeting here he has carried all sorts of weights, usually making big weight concessions, and has beaten the best horses at the track at distances from six furlongs to one mile and under all sorts . of track conditions. In his first start at Latonla, In a low weight handicap at a mile, in which he carried 100 pounds, he easily defeated Cottontown, Tlie Stinks, Belllndian and others in 1:391, and in the opinion of close observers he could that day have run the mile in better than 1:39. The most notable of his victories at Latonla was that in a six furlongs race on July 11, In which he carried 117 ounds, gave away lumps of weight to such speedy ones as Funiculaire, Lady Esther, Meadow-breeze and Nonie Lucille and beat them handily in 1:14. Colonel Jim Douglas Is named after a prominent business man and turfman of Louisville, for whom Douglas Park was also named. Colonel Douglas has been interested iu both the trotters aud runners for a number of years, although he is not actively engaged In racing. Some years ago he bought the old Nick KInzer farm near Louisville and is breeding on a small scale. He owns Henry Young, the sire of his namesake and a few choice broodmares. Colonel Jim Douglas is a rich bay in color, a compact, stout, evenly built horse. It would be Interesting to know just what he might do over a long distance of ground, as in the opinion of some of the leading trainers here he could take up his weight and- run any distance up to a mile and a furlong in close to record time. He was shipped to Louisville some thrte weeks ago to be rested up for the fall meetings and no doubt he will be seeu In public again at the coming Douglas Park meeting. H. J. Perry owned the colt last year, to whom he was a sore disappointment. He showed Perry a marvelous turn of speed, and his owner started him and bet on him repeatedly, but Invariably after leading his company a short distance quit and fell to the rear. Undoubtedly, as often happens, the horse needed the development and strength of another years growth to enable him to maintain his speed. Perry became disgusted with him, as most anyone would have done, and sold him to Oldham. The performance of Colonel Jim Douglas calls to mind the achievements of another Jim Douglas twenty years ago. This Jim Douglas, which will be remembered by old turfmen, was by the famous long distance runner aud subsequent great sire, Wildidle. out of Yolone, a mare by Norfolk, that had previously thrown live or six good winners. He was bred In California, was foaied in 1878, was owned aud raced by C. Johnson, an Idaho turfmau, and was brought east to St. Louis In the spring of 1885, after he had beaten all the best horses on the Pacific slope. He defeated all the crack horses of the middle west at from three-quarters to a nine and an eighth and was then sent to New York, where he met and vanquished, one after the other, pretty nearly all the crack short distance runners of that section. He was burdened with big weight in nearly all of his races, and won repeatedly In time close to the records at all distances from five furlongs to a mile and a furlong. He was one of the best racers of that year east or west and a very high-class racehorse. Speaking of the two Jim Douglases recently an old turfman remarked, "That Colonel Jim is a good horse, but old Wildidle Jim was a better one and could have given him weight and a beating.
